Nothing Like This
by domUNIQUE
Summary: I never thought I could find someone who would make me this happy. Someone who confuses me so much, but fills that hole inside of me. She may not know it, but she completes me. I thought I knew love before I met her, but damn was I wrong. No love story is perfect. But with her, I only know perfection. Modern day AU. Peeta's POV.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

Okay, to be honest I posted this before. But I made a new account, trying to start anew with my writing. I really don't know what happened before. I would really love to finish this story. I just hope you guys won't let this go.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Hunger Games. And if I did, Finnick would still be alive (!_!)

…

"Peeta, we need to talk."

No one wants to hear those words. You always know nothing good ever comes from them. But to be honest, I saw this one coming. If this weren't happening now, maybe I would be the one saying those words to her in a few weeks.

"Sure Delly. What's up?"

"Do you still love me?"

What am I suppose to tell her. We've been dating since college. I've never felt happier with anyone else but her. Delly Cartwright is the perfect girl. She's always so happy and bubbly. She takes care of me when I'm sick. She understands my moods and I understand her. I will always love her.

But these past few months...the spark just wasn't there. We tried going on long vacations together, have romantic dinners. But the feelings just changed. I never get the giddy feeling of being so close to her anymore like I did in college.

Even when we make love, it's just not the same.

I'll always love her. But now, it doesn't seem enough anymore.

"Of course I love you Delly. But..." I can't finish my sentence.

"But it's just not working anymore." She finishes for me.

"Yeah...I think so."

"I know you don't feel it too anymore. What can we do? We tried everything. I don't think this is meant to be." Delly says.

I don't know if I should be relieved because this would mean we can stop this act. But we've been together for so long now. Should I just let her go? Should I give up just like that? I should fight for her right?

"But we could still make this work." I try persuading her.

"How Peet? I have no idea what to do anymore. We've tried everything." I can see she's trying to fight back the tears. "I love you. I know I do. But we can't continue this. We're just lying to ourselves that this will work out. I've been thinking about this a lot."

She has a point. I even said earlier that in a few more weeks of this I would do the dumping.

I sigh heavily, "I know what you mean. But...six years? After all that, we're just...ending it?"

"What else can we do Peeta?" She asks me with watery eyes.

I can't think of an answer. "I don't know...nothing I guess."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I try to reassure her. I know this hurts, I'm hurting too. But this has to happen. It's for the best. People just fall out of love. "We didn't do anything wrong." I reach out to hug her. She doesn't hesitate to crash herself into my chest.

"I will always love you Peeta." She says as she cries on my shirt.

I try my best to not let the tears fall. But it hurts so much. "I will always love you too. Always." I reply as I hesitantly let the tears fall.

We push apart but still holding each other. We just look at each other, trying to hold on to all the good memories we have.

I try to give her a smile, "We had a good six years."

She lets out a chuckle, "Yeah, we did." There's a short pause before she continues, "I'll miss you."

"I guess this is goodbye." I say, not holding back the tears anymore.

We hug one last time. I try to cherish her warmth, but all too soon, it's gone.

**A/N:**

**So this is like a trial chapter. If I get enough reviews I might continue the story. I feel pretty good about this. I hope you guys get intrigued and review so you'll know what's gonna happen with Peeta. Remember, this is a story about Peeta and Katniss. So there's much much more to the story. **

**Listen to the song, the inspiration of this story, Nothing Like This by Rascal Flatts. Maybe you'll get an idea of what story flow I'm going for.**

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

CHAPTER PLAYLIST:

Remind Me by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood

Hip to My Heart by The Band Perry

_ . . . . . . ._

_Do you remember how it used to be?_

_We turned out the lights and we wouldn't just sleep_

_Remind me, remind me_

_So on fire and so in love_

_That look in your eyes that I miss so much_

_Remind me, remind me_

God, I'm pathetic.

It's been about two months of me being single now. And I don't like it. I have no idea what to do without her. I was with her for so long, I'm clueless on how to act and not consider her thoughts or how she'll react to them. Everytime something interesting happens, I pick up my cellphone and begin to text her. But then I realized that I shouldn't. We're not together anymore.

We're not together anymore.

I tell myself that everyday, just trying to move on. How are you supposed to move on? You've loved a girl for your whole college life and then some, and just like that, she's gone.

Why didn't I fight harder? We had such a wonderful time together. Yeah, we had it rough for a while. But we could have fought harder. We should have fought harder.

I've been debating for almost an hour with myself if I should call her. Would I seem desperate? But I am. I want her back. I want what we had back. I want to hold her, and kiss her, and make love to her. I still obviously love her, I should call her.

But what if she doesn't love me anymore? But it hasn't been that long since the break-up. I'm sure she misses me even a little bit.

_Get it together Mellark! She fucking left you. You would have done it to if she didn't beat you to the punch! Get over it!_

But I can't get over it.

_Ugh!_

Another hour passed and I finally decided what to do. So I pick up my phone and dial the number.

. . . . . .

"Dude! Thank you! Now you can finally have some real fun." Finnick never did like Delly. Whenever I invited him for a night out with us he'd always say he had somewhere to go. Yeah right. "She was always so chatty. All I wanna do is get some duct tape and shut her up."

Finnick is my best friend since high school. Even though we went to different colleges, we kept in touch and are still pretty close until now. He was the first person I called after the break up. Ever since, he keeps inviting me to go out for parties or whatever. And I've declined his offers all the time. Finn is the guy who knows how to have a good time. He's the go to guy if you want to get booze, get wasted or get laid.

But right now I don't think I need that Finn. I need my best friend and his help. Him bashing on my ex isn't helping at all.

"Finn, I still love her. Could you stop?" I try not to sound so annoyed.

"Sorry Peet. It's just when you were together you were always so boring. Waiting on her hand and foot. Have some dignity!"

"She was my girlfriend. I wanted to take care of her. It was love, man." I defend myself.

"Love." Finnick scoffs. "What good does it give you? You say you love each other, but what happened? You broke up. Six years, down the toilet."

"You wouldn't understand. Love is like floating on air. You can't help how you act, okay?"

"You're going gay. But you know what? How 'bout we forget all this and move on?" Finnick says as he orders another round of shots.

"I'll drink to that."

"To forgetting Delly Cartwright and getting laid tonight!" Finnick shouts as he holds up his shot.

"I'm all for it! Except getting laid." I say as I raise mine to his.

"You're no fun." Finn replies as he downs the drink. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" I ask as we pass the bar to pay for the tab.

Usual Finn, he won't say where we're going. This isn't the first time he brings me to places I wouldn't imagine of going myself. The worst was when he discovered a new strip club. He had to lie to me about needing some 'guy help' to get rid of Delly. He got me a lap dance with a girl named Glimmer. Glimmer! What a ridiculous name, but man did she have moves. Okay, so maybe spending time with Finnick isn't so bad.

Hey! I'm single again! I'm gonna have fun tonight!

"We're here!" Finnick stops the car in front a club I've never been to before. "The Capitol. Hottest club here, dude. We are getting you wasted tonight!"

"Don't get all excited Finn. You know I have a limit." Ever since I started dating Delly, I never drank as much as the other college studs. She never approved of getting drunk, the most I got from parties was getting tipsy. She was always so sensitive about underage drinking.

"Do you hear yourself right now?" This is the start of another Finnick lecture. "We're here to forget about that bitch–"

"Stop." I cut him off before he bashes on her more. I just couldn't take it right now.

"Okay. That was out of line. But man, she's moved on. Has she at least texted you?"

I look away, "No."

"No." He repeats. "You have to move on. If you want my help, I say get another girl. Or at least for the night." He winks at me.

"Seriously? I just got out of a long relationship."

"Exactly!" He exclaims as he throws is arms up in the air. "You need to be with other women! You need to expand your horizon." He says as he wraps an arm around my shoulder and using the other to point to "the horizon".

I see no point in arguing any further. I'll let Finn think whatever he wants. I had a great relationship, I had true love. No one night stand is going to fix the hole in my heart.

"Come on. I invited Marvel and Cato, you should have some fun tonight." Finnick leads me to the start of the line. "Brutus!"

"Finnick! Another night out?" The buff bouncer asks.

_He must already be a regular. _I think.

"You know it!" Finn exclaims as he does a hand shake with the bouncer. "This is my main man, Peeta." I reach out to shake his hand, but he starts with the same hand shake. It did not go well. "He needs to find a lady tonight. He's cool, okay?"

"Sure, man. Come right in." Brutus pulls away the red velvet rope to let us in. "There's a lot of babes I just let in. Chick with a red dress, watch out!" Brutus shouts to us as we enter.

When Delly and I were dating, we never went out to night clubs. We usually went out for romantic dinners, watch chic flicks on the sofa (which I tolerated just for her, she never wanted to watch the action movies I suggested) or do nothing at all but cuddle. So being here right now, with the loud bass music and crowded dance floor, is really overwhelming. I don't even remember the last time I went out like this. I'm still deciding if this is good or bad.

We push our way through the dance floor to go over to the tables at the back where Marvel and Cato are waiting. I met the two in college when we were all athletes. I was in the volleyball team, Finnick in the swim team and Cato and Marvel in the basketball team. Sports teams in our school were really close, having all sorts of parties together. I usually couldn't come to get-togethers like these because Delly always told me that it was a waste of time if you couldn't remember half of it being drunk. Back then I thought it was a pretty rational reason. But looking back now, I gotta say I lost some pretty nice guy time.

Was she really bad for me?

Approaching the table where our friends are at, Finnick shouts, "Hey guys! Peeta's finally here!"

Both Cato and Marvel look up at him sceptically. Cato is the first to speak. "Oh right. I heard you and cheeky finally broke up." He says as the memory came back.

"At least you're out tonight right?" Marvel asks as he raises his drink to him.

"Yeah, sure." I shrug it off. "It beats chick flicks."

That gets a laugh out of them. "I have no idea how you survived that long, Mellark." Cato says as he shakes his head.

"What? Clove never made you watch those dumb ass movies?"

Clove is Cato's on-and-off girlfriend. They've been together since their last year in college. They keep sleeping around, we don't know why. We all could see they love each other. They're just too stubborn to admit it to each other. They're so alike, being aggressive and hyperactive at sports. They actually met at a basketball game we watched and they figured out that they went to the same school.

"Dude, have you met Clove? She hates those as much as I do." He takes a large gulp from his drink. "Besides, she's with another guy tonight."

Well that doesn't surprise me. Once things started getting serious, Cato freaked out and started flirting with other girls. With that it made Clove start flirting with other guys. Even if they had sex with other people, they end up comforting each other. But then the cycle goes over again and again.

"Cato, you guys have to stop that."

"Whatever. Hey, hot chick, nine o'clock."

I turn my head and see a sea of people. But then my eyes focus on this beautiful creature. Her body looks as if it were sculpted by the gods themselves. The red glittering dress she's wearing hugs her body so nicely, showing off all those amazing curves. I'm mentally thanking whoever made the dress for it being so short so I could see her slender legs. And that cleavage, wow. She isn't the least bit slutty, just so gorgeous.

From where we're at, I can't get a good look at her face. I can see her beautiful long brown wavy hair cascading down her back. Swaying with the music as she gracefully dances alongside a redheaded girl.

I almost gained enough confidence to approach her until I feel an elbow jab me in the side. "Dude, stop staring and just dance with her." Marvel says.

"I can't just go there and dance with her." I say as I take a sip of the drink Finn ordered for us.

"It's a club dumbass. You're supposed to dance."

I take another sip of my drink. I have no idea if I should. I haven't even talked to another girl since Delly, much less flirt or dance with one.

"Come on!" Finn grabs my arm and pulls me towards the dance floor. I have half a mind to stop him, but I really want to meet that girl.

We're approaching her slowly when Finnick whispers to me that he'll take the redhead while I make the move with the brunette. I don't get a chance to protest that this is too soon because he's already holding the redhead's waist and leading her to the bar. The amazing goddess turns to look at me, the guy's friend who stole her friend from her.

"Sorry about that." I say, not really knowing how to start a conversation with her. I'm usually good with words, but I can't even think of a coherent thing to say to her right now, let alone speak it. "My friend could be…persuasive."

"So I guess you'll have to dance with me then since your friend stole my dance partner." She grabs my wrist and start dancing with me, her back pressed against my chest. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I do what I'm told. I put both of my hands on her waist, swaying with her to the music. She eventually turns and looks at me. I don't know if I'm breathing right now. All I could focus on is how beautiful she is. Her gorgeous grey eyes have a fire in them, she has a cute little nose, and her lips are glossy pink and so full. I can't help wonder how they would feel on mine.

We're still dancing when I ask her if she wants to take a break and if I could buy her a drink. She accepts my offer and we head to an unoccupied table after ordering drinks.

"I'm Peeta by the way. Peeta Mellark."

"Pita?" She laughs, "As in the bread?"

I am really hating my parents right now.

"Are your parents like Hansel and Gretel?" She's full out laughing now.

"Okay, okay. You can stop now."

She wipes her eyes for the unshed tears they accumulated.

"My parents owned a bakery, okay?"

"So you were the bun in the oven?" She jokes.

Okay, I gotta give props for that one. "Hey! I wasn't the only Mellark named after pastry. My two older brothers have weird names too."

"No name can be weirder than Pita."

"It's Peeeeta." I make sure to emphasize the pronunciation. "Their names are Pie and Rye by the way."

She's laughing at me again. I don't know if I should be insulted or not, okay I should be. But the sound of her laughter is so pure and melodic. I can't get enough of it.

"Seriously? You're parents are crazy if that's true!"

"Well, their full names are Pyson and Rylie."

"Then that doesn't count." She says in a matter-of-fact tone then crosses her arms as she leans back on her seat.

I also lean back on mine and ask, "What do you mean?"

"Those are their _nick_names. Yours is your _real _name, like on your birth certificate, right?" I nod my confirmation. "Then it doesn't count. _You're_ really named after bread but _they have real_ names."

Okay, I get her point. "Well, what's your name then?" I ask as I place my arms on the table, leaning in.

She chuckles at my question but does the same position. "Oh, Bread Boy, you have to work harder than that. It's gonna cost you more to know my name than just a dance and a drink."

Is she actually flirting with me? God, I don't want to screw this up.

"Hm. You don't want to tell me your name 'cause it's as weird as mine is, isn't it?"

"That's for me to know and for you to fi- "

"Hey Katniss! I'm going to dance with Finn, okay?" Her redheaded friend shouts through the music. Behind her Finn is giving me the thumbs up.

The girl in front of me is fighting the smile on her face as she replies to her friend. "Okay, Annie. I'll be here." And with that her friend happily glides off to the dance floor with my best friend in tow.

When she turns back to face me, she immediately scowls at the smirk I can't help plaster on my face.

"So, _Katniss._" I give her my biggest smile while she narrows her eyes at me. "That's a pretty interesting name." I try to supress the laughter that's about to escape my throat, but damn am I loving her friend right now.

"Hey! My name is better than yours! You're named after bread, while I'm named after a flower."

"Fine. But my name is NOT weirder."

"I bet that there is NO other person in the whole world named Peeta!"

"Yeah? I bet there's no other person in the whole world named Katniss, either!" We didn't notice until now that we were unconsciously leaning into each other, challenging each other, during the conversation. By now our faces are almost touching. Our lips are only a few inches apart. Right now, we're staring each other down. But then, for just a second, her eyes dart down to my lips. I wonder if she's thinking the same thing as I am; how her lips would feel against my own.

She narrows her eyes at me and asks, "Don't challenge me, Bread Boy." She's giving me a playful smirk.

"What if I will?"

She grabs her purse and looks inside it. She reaches in and grabs her phone. When she looks up at me she sees my eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I'm going to search Facebook, and if there's one other person whose name is Katniss, I win." She says as she starts typing on her phone.

"Okay, but if there's another person out there whose name is Peeta, I win."

"It's a deal, Mellark." She says without even looking up. After about three sips from my drink she slams her hand on the table which causes me to jump and almost spilling my drink mid-sip. "Fuck, Facebook." She mumbles as she slides her phone across the table to me. When I pick it up, the screen shows no results for "Katniss" except for hers. I smirk at it because I know for sure she lost. And I got to find out her last name: Everdeen. But when I check the other window, I can't help the smile on my face.

"I win." I announce proudly.

She just rolls her eyes and says something like _stupid parents _and _annoying bakers. _I can't help but laugh at how stubborn and cute she is. But of course this causes a glare, so I try to cover it off with a cough.

"So," I start, "what do I win?"

"Who said anything about prizes?"

"Aww, don't be like that."

"Fine, what do you want?"

Hm? What do I want? I mean, so far, she's great. She teases me a lot, but she actually got me to laugh. She made me smile with her laugh. She made me happy. But can this be anything more than a one-time thing in a club? Am I even ready for something serious? Does she even want to be serious with me?

Oh my god I sound like such a girl even in my head.

"I want a dance." _What?! You could have asked for anything, but no! You asked for a dance idiot._

She smirks at me, but then checks her wristwatch for the time.

_Shit. Now she's going to turn me down._

"Sorry to disappoint you Bread Boy, but I have work tomorrow." She says as she stands up.

I follow suit, and hold her arm before she could leave. "You're not getting away that easily, Flower." She raises her eyebrow at me at my awful nickname for her. I'm under pressure, that was the best I could think of while conjuring up a plan to see her again. "You owe me."

She smirks at me again. _God, she's so damn cute._

She slowly releases her arm out of my grip and pushes up with her tip toes. Her lips are mere centimeters away from my ear, and I can't stop the shudder that courses through my spine when her warm breathe hits my sensitive skin. "If you find me, I'll give you a prize."

I close my eyes for only a second, savouring the feeling of her being near me. When I open my eyes she's nowhere to be found. I try to search the dance floor. But all I see is a flustered Finnick without a dance partner. When he catches my eye, he slowly approaches me.

"Dude, what happened? The chick you were talking to stole my girl and ran off."

I couldn't answer him. I have no idea what just happened.

The rest of the night is a blur. I went back to our original table and found Marvel's arm slung around a girl wearing almost nothing in a lace dress. Cato was dancing, and Finnick, well he was a bit off. He didn't flirt with any girl that crossed him like he normally does. But I wasn't in a mood to care. All I wanted was to find that girl again.

Katniss.

I know I shouldn't be this obsessed with someone I hardly know. But she was something else. She's the first person who actually made me forget Delly for a moment.

_I like your lips like I like my Coca Cola, yeah_

_Oh how it pops and fizzles_

What the heck? I was just lying in bed, falling asleep until I hear country music playing out of nowhere. I notice a small light illuminating from my jeans on the floor, and go to pick them up. It's Katniss' phone giving off an alarm.

I smile to myself.

Now I have a reason to see you again.

. . . . .

A/N:

Hope you guys liked it! Tell me what you guys think c: I'll be posting the next chapter maybe tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

So, this is the first chapter I wrote since I started this story almost a year ago. I would love to know what you guys think about it! Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Playlist: Hip to My Heart by The Band Perry

Disclaimer: I sadly, so sadly, do not own HG.

. . . . .

_All the girls in town look you up and look you down, I know _

_So…c'mon and pick your kitten_

_Purr, baby, purr, go ahead and say the word let's go_

_I think I'm the one you diggin'_

_Got me feeling lucky!_

Serious-frickin-ly?! I get the phone, yet again, from my nightstand just to turn off her alarm for the umpteenth time. Does she really need to wake up at 5 am? What the holy hell?

I really shouldn't blame her or anything. I was a morning person before the break up. Hell, I was a baker for crying out loud. But I guess ever since I found it hard to wake up with no one beside me, no one to cook breakfast to, I found it easier to just wake up at normal hours.

Well, since I can't get back to sleep, might as well make the most of it.

I go into my kitchen and start preparing the ingredients for French toast and scrambled eggs. My apartment isn't really that big or anything. But when I was apartment hunting, I really wanted to make sure that I got one with a kitchen I can happily cook and bake in.

Baking might not be the manliest thing in the world, but that's what I grew up with. Even though my childhood wasn't ideal, I wouldn't change it for the world.

I'm just about to take the first bite out of my toast when Katniss' phone starts ringing again. It's playing a different country song though. She must really like country music. I check her phone to turn the alarm off, but before I do, I notice that this alarm has a note with it.

_Work at Panem Studios. 8-11 am._

I smile to myself. Finding her is not going to be hard at all.

. . . . .

Luckily, I've been to Panem Studios before. It's a gym and a dance center. They offer a ton of activities like aerobics, plana, and trainers for when you need that extra help. I used to go there from time to time but stopped recently when I was needed more time at work. But maybe now I'll have more reason to come back.

I decided not to directly go there. If her work ends at 11, I'll go right before that so I can meet her. If I go too early, she might still be busy. If I go too late, I might miss her. Better to be safe than sorry, and I do not want to miss the opportunity to see her again.

Around 10:30 I go down to my building's parking and hop into my car. Panem Studios isn't that far, but slight traffic could make my 10-minute drive into about double that time so I think I'll be pretty safe.

Right when I think I think I would arrive, I'm parking in front of the gym. Nothing's changed much. But then I see a poster of their latest activity being offered, and it just assures me that I was right. It's a picture of Katniss with the poster stating details about their new Zumba classes.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I see one of the doors to the dance room open and the people filing out. Lastly, I see her with her black and neon green sports bra and tight black spandex pants. She's saying goodbye to her class. She has her back to me so I guess it's the right time to make my entrance.

"So I found you. What's my prize?"

I see her stiffen a bit then she suddenly whips her head to face me, a shocked expression on her face which immediately turns into a smirk. "Well well well, isn't Bread Boy the stalker."

"Hey, I am not a stalker." I defend myself.

"Uh huh. I refuse to believe that you happened to just be here. How'd you find me?"

Right when she asked that, her phone starts ringing again in my pocket.

"You took my phone?!" She hisses at me.

I immediately try to explain myself. "No! Katniss, you left your phone with me remember? We were talking about Facebook. You were in such a rush I guess we both kinda forgot it was with me. Well that didn't last too long since it kept on ringing."

I could see a hint of a blush on her cheeks while she looks away. I can't help but think that she looks really damn cute when she blushes.

"Fine, Bread Boy. I'm sorry I accused you." She says while reaching for her phone. But I won't have that. I pull it back, out of her reach, and she immediately has a scowl on her face.

"Uh uh, you're not getting this back until I get my prize."

She stubbornly crosses her arms in front of her chest, but her adorable smirk is back on her face.

"And what makes you think you're getting one at all?"

"Cause you told me so, you don't seem like a person who goes off on her word."

She raises her eyebrow at me then, "Oh yeah? What kind of person do you think I am?" She challenges.

"Have lunch with me so I could find out." I reply with a smile.

She's still smirking at me, but I swear I could see a glimmer in her eyes. "Give me ten minutes to change. But you're paying for lunch, Bread Boy." She says as she walks to the showers. I can't help the smile that crosses my face.

Not so long after, she comes back in dark jeans and a simple green v-neck top. I can't help but think of how beautiful she is. She comes right up to me with a smirk on her face. "So where you treating me, Bread Boy?"

"I have a name you know?" I say playfully. "Do you have a car with you?" I ask as I lead her out of the building.

"Nah, I rode the bus. And I know your name. Not my fault it's practically the same with my name for you." She laughs at me then. I can't get enough of it, even if it is at my own expense.

I lead her to my car, and the gentleman that I am, I open the door for her which gets me a smirk in return. "I can open my own door, you know?"

"Oh I know." I reply as I slide into the driver's seat. "You like Italian?"

. . . . . .

We're at one of my favourite Italian restaurants. It's not really that classy but the food is amazing. After ordering our food, she leans back on her chair and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Do you plan on giving me my phone any time soon?"

"Not until after the date." I state as I lean in.

"Who says this is a date?" She has that smirk on her face again. I know I should feel intimidated or something, but she looks too damn cute. "I see this as blackmail for my phone back."

"I'm buying you food, this is not blackmail."

"Okay, _Bread Boy." _She really loves that nickname. "What's you game?" She's challenging me now. I'm not quite sure what to do about it. Apparently, she notices the flustered look on my face. "Here's the thing, I don't do dates. I'm just here to get my phone back, and yeah, why not get a meal out of the deal."

Well I didn't expect that at all. "Why don't you date?"

She just shrugs her shoulders. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She smirks, "It's just not my thing anymore."

"Anymore? So you used to?" She suddenly narrows her eyes at me. "I mean, you're what? 21? I doubt you never dated."

"So again, what's your game?" She deliberately avoids my question. I'll let that slip, for now. I will get her to see me again after this.

"No game. I just want to get to know you better." Our food arrives then, and we slip into a bit of an awkward silence. The silence was abruptly stopped when her phone starts ringing in my pocket again.

"What's with all the alarms?" I ask as I turn it off. When I turn my head to look at her again though, she has a sad expression. But I saw only a glimpse of it, being quickly replaced by an expression of indifference.

"I like to know the time." She shrugs her shoulder and looks down at her food. I don't know if I should ask further. It's really hard getting to know her. I was with Delly for so long, I suddenly don't know how to get to know other girls. This is becoming a problem.

"So, how long have you worked in Panem Studios?" I try to make conversation.

She looks up at me at has the tiniest smile on her face. I'm going to consider that as a step in the right direction. "A little over a year now. What do you do for a living?"

She's actually making conversation. Okay, don't screw up Mellark. You can do this. "Uh, I work freelance actually. But recently I was hired to make the cartoons for the Capitol newspaper. I don't know if you know it, it's pretty low key. Uhm, _Kurt and Rodney." _It's not that I'm not proud of my work, I guess I'm a bit nervous to find out if she thinks my job is pretty boring or something.

But when I look at her, she has the biggest smile I've ever seen on her since last night. "Don't kid with me Bread Boy!" She laughs while I just give her a confused face. "I love that comic strip! Rodney is so hilarious! I swear, Prim keeps saying that I act like such a kid reading those comics."

"Prim?" I ask, as confused as ever.

"Oh, she's my little sister." She beams. I can already see the light in her eyes, she must definitely love her sister. "She's studying medicine now. She's really determined. She's one of the few people I really love." While she's talking she looks out of the window with a glow to her. I know I can't let her out of my sights just yet.

"So I'm assuming you two are pretty close?"

"Yeah. What about you and your other pastry brothers?" And she's back to her joking self, and I can't get enough of her.

"We are a family of bakers and we're proud of it!" I puff out my chest which only causes her to roll her eyes. But I didn't miss that cute smile. "Anyway, Pie's the oldest. He's married now and working as a lawyer. He's the most serious out of us three. Rye is the polar opposite. He's a year older than me but damn does he act like such a kid. He's the one helping out at the bakery back home with my dad."

"What about your mom?" He question is really innocent, but I couldn't help the involuntary flinch I do every time my mom's brought up. And based on her next sentence, I'm pretty sure she didn't miss it. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. No pressure."

I give her a smile, trying not to think of my mom. "Maybe some other time."

I'm pretty sure I saw a small smile on her face, but it's immediately replaced by a smirk. "What makes you think there's gonna be a next time Bread Boy? I don't recall anything about a next time."

"Oh Katniss, by the end of this date, you'll want nothing more but to spend everyday with me. Not that I'm complaining." I smirk back.

"This is not a da-"

"Yes, this is a date. You will finish your food, I'll pay the bill and we'll have a nice walk before I drive you home." I cut her off, challenging her to say otherwise. But she surprises me yet again.

"Fine." She leans in and tells me, "But you gotta do better than that if _you_ want to see me everyday." Then she goes back to finishing her food.

At the short time that I got to spend with her so far, she has never ceased to confuse me. But she also makes me feel like I have no care in the world. She makes everything feel so light. There's still that barrier, I can feel it. But I'm not giving up.

After we finish our food and I pay for our meal, I lead her out of the restaurant. She walks to my car but I don't follow her. She senses my absence and turns to look at me. "You weren't serious about the walk were you?"

"Oh, yes I am." I reach to hold her hand but she pulls back. She suddenly has a nervous look on her face.

I start to ask her what's wrong when she beats me to it. "I'll be right back. I'm just gonna go to the restroom before we go for the walk, okay?"

I don't have a clue on why she would be worried, but I don't question her. I let her go back in. a few minutes later and she's back, no trace of the nerves from before.

She looks at me expectantly and I cock my head in confusion. She releases a cute little giggle and says, "I thought we were going for a walk."

"Oh, yeah." That was stupid of me. "Come on." This time when I reach for her hand, she doesn't pull away.

I lead her to a nearby park. It's pretty small, but it's also really nice. There aren't much people here today. When I look over at Katniss, I can see her relax a bit more. She feels me staring and abruptly stops. "What?"

"Nothing." I tug on her hand to continue walking. "You look really relaxed, it's nice."

I think I see a bit of pink tinting her cheeks. "I grew up near the woods. I like nature."

I get to learn more and more about her. "Really? What was it like?"

She has a gentle smile on her face, but I can see a bit of sadness in her eyes. "It was nice. My dad taught me how to use a bow and arrows. It wasn't the typical activity a father a daughter duo does, but it was me and my dad's bonding days. He taught me everything he knew about nature."

"Where's your dad now?"

It's her turn to flinch. I try to take what I said back, but she says, "Maybe some other time." Mimicking my words earlier.

I try to lighten the mood. "So there is gonna be a next time?"

She just laughs at me and I swear I felt her squeeze my hand. "Maybe."

. . . . .

A/N:

Okay, it's not that long of a chapter. But I hope you guys liked it! Tell me what you guys think about it. Comments and suggestions are really appreciated c: I'll try to update soon.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:

Damn! I know, I know! this update is looong overdue :c I am so sorry. It's summer here in the PH and there were a lot of things that happened during my vacation. That is a horrible excuse but I hope you guys like this chapter! Oh! And new characters! Weeh!

We keep walking for a while until I see a nice tree where we can sit under. I invite her to sit with me and she happily agrees, much to my relief. We both lean against the trunk, not really touching, but I can literally just feel her presence beside me.

It excites and scares me. I've never felt this kind of electricity when I was with Delly. And whenever I think of Delly and Katniss at the same time, whenever I compare them, I find it much more confusing. It's like they aren't meant to be thought of together. Like maybe, just maybe, Delly is my past and Katniss is my future.

Upon thinking this, I can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. I barely know Katniss. Our "first date" isn't even over yet and all I can think about is her being with me after this.

I don't even know if that's what I really want. And damn would I know what she wants, she confuses the hell out of me.

Apparently I've been silent for too long. She nudges my shoulder, that simple contact sends a jolt of excitement through me.

"You okay over there Bread Boy?" She asks as she nudges me once more. That jolt makes me want to grab her and just hold her close.

But I don't.

"Yeah, sorry. I zoned out for a minute." I reply instead.

She looks at me with those striking silver eyes. I swear my heart just stopped for a second there. "Penny for your thoughts." She smiles at me, that smile that radiates her beauty.

"Was just thinking 'bout someone from my past." I reply without thinking. I immediately regret for bringing something like that up so early in our…whatever we may be. I haven't been single that long, but I know to never bring exes up unless asked. I guess technically she did ask.

But from her raised eyebrow, I really don't think I made the right decision.

"Hmm." She thinks before saying anything more. "Wanna talk about it?" She decides to ask.

I have no idea what to say though. No, I don't want to talk about Delly. But what really makes me stop and think is the thought of what Katniss is thinking right now. Is she bothered by what I said? Does she care? Would she even care? Are we too early in our whatever for her to care?

My head is a mess of thinking of what she thinks and what to answer her. Being honest might be my best bet right now.

"Not really, sorry for bringing it up though."

We fall silent after that, both of us not really knowing what to say after my little slip. After a while, I decide to break the silence.

"I was wondering…"

She looks at me again. I could barely remember what I was thinking. It's like her eyes suck me in and everything around us just fades into nothing. All I can focus on is her.

I must have stared for a while. She snaps her fingers in front of my face, immediately breaking me from my trance.

"You've been doing a lot of zoning out on me, Bread Boy. Am I really that boring?" She chuckles, but I swear I heard a bit of vulnerability there. I don't know what to think about it though.

I give my head a little shake, trying to get my thoughts straight.

"I'm sorry. It's just…" I really don't know how to continue. If I tell her the truth, it might freak her out.

"Just what?" She asks, a little crease forming in between her eye brows.

Damn, might as well tell her the truth.

"Your eyes are really pretty, beautiful actually. I guess I just get lost in them sometimes." I say looking away. I can't even imagine what she would think about what I just said.

But then I feel her hand on my arm, warmth radiating through it. I dare to give a peak at her and see that she has a small smile on her face and a bit of pink on her cheeks. I give her a smile in return.

"So, you were wondering about something?" She asks me, bringing up our conversation from before I made a fool of myself.

"Oh right." I say as I rub the back of my neck, trying not to look so nervous. "I was wondering if maybe you'd want to hang out again after this." It's not really my best line, but damn does she unnerve me. It's like I don't wanna mess things up but because she makes me so nervous I do just that, mess up.

When I look back at her, I see that her famous smirk is back. "What happened to my Bread Boy that was so good with words earlier?"

I was just about to answer her when something dawned on me. She said _my _Bread Boy. All of a sudden I have this giddy feeling bubbling up inside of me.

"_Your_ Bread Boy huh?" I decide to tease her.

Her eyes widen due to her sudden realization of her words. "What? I…uh…that's not what I meant…I mean…yeah…what…uh." she begins to stutter. It's so damn cute that I start laughing. She pushes me but can't help it, I laugh harder.

She's scowling at me now. She makes a move to stand but before she could I grab her hand. I instantly feel that jolt again but I can't let it get to me this time.

"Katniss wait! I was only teasing." I pull her back down to sit beside me. "Besides, who else is gonna be your Bread Boy?" I say, nudging her shoulder.

She doesn't look at me immediately, but when she turns to me she has a small on her face but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. I'm scared that I might have overstepped something.

I immediately try to backpedal but she beats me to it. "It's fine. But do you mind if we head on out now? I feel tired."

I try not to let my disappointment show. I try to give her a reassuring smile and stand. I reach out my hand to help her up. She doesn't immediately take it though. It was only for a second but she looked really sad. Shaking it off, she grabs my hand and we head back to the restaurant to get my car.

"Where do you live?" I ask her as we approach my car. "I could give you a ride home."

I can immediately tell that she's about to decline, but she surprises me yet again by saying, "Thanks, I live near here."

The ride to her neighbourhood has been relatively silent. She points me to where her apartment is. After parking in front of her building, neither of us makes a move.

After a few more seconds of silence, she finally breaks it. "So are you ever giving me my phone back?" She asks as she turns her body to face me.

"Depends." I say, as a futile attempt to think of a way to see her again.

When I look at her, she has her eyebrow raised at me. "Oh Bread Boy has more demands, huh?" She scoffs. "Might be easier if I buy myself a new one."

"What about you give me your number and we call it even?" I turn my body to face her also, seeing yet again her adorable smirk now paired with her raised eyebrow.

"You had my phone since yesterday and you didn't bother getting my number from there?"

I simply shrug. "That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, now would it?"

She chuckles at that, but like a blink her smile is gone.

"Look, Peeta."

_Oh no, she's using my real name. What the hell does that mean?_

"It was really nice being with you today and all, but…" She's not looking at me while she says this. "But I don't think this, whatever we're doing, isn't such a good idea."

I'm baffled. I seriously don't know what to think or say. But what I do know is that she's too good to let go.

"Katniss" I touch her arm, "This doesn't have to be anything more than what you want it to be."

She doesn't look at me, and I sigh involuntarily. "I won't push you. But I do want to be your friend."

"I'll allow it." I have to strain my ears to catch what she said. I'm not even really sure I heard her right.

"You'll allow it?" I ask trying not to sound too hopeful.

I know we haven't known each other for a really long time. But in that short time knowing her, she's been something like a breath of fresh air. I'm not exactly certain of what our status is, or if I really do want to be more than friends with her in the future. But what I am certain of is that if being her friend means getting to spend time with her, getting to see her smile, hearing her laugh, then I'll be the best damn friend she's ever had.

"Yes, I'll allow it."

. . . . .

I did give her back her phone before she left. And she did finally give me her number.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face driving home. And you know what, I don't even care.

Right when I enter my apartment, I know something is off. I toss my keys in the bowl that's on top of the table by the door. I haven't made it three steps in my own apartment when I someone knocks me to the ground.

"Wassaaaap baby brothaaa!"

"Dammit Rye! I knew giving you that key was a bad idea!"

He just scrambles off me and plops down on the couch.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. You know you missed me." He says as he switches my TV on.

I choose to ignore him and head to my kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Aren't you gonna offer your favourite big brother a glass?" He asks as he makes his way to my kitchen.

"Aren't you supposed to be back home helping dad at the bakery?" I ask instead of denying or confirming he's accusation of being my "favourite".

He shrugs as he rummages through my refrigerator. "Dad gave me the weekend off to visit you baby bro." He plops himself onto one of my stools. "I guess you're stuck with me for three days."

I can't help the sigh I let out. I was just hoping for a nice and peaceful weekend. I know getting in touch with Katniss this weekend would be too soon for her so I chose to just relax and not overthink things. But with Rye here, there is no doubt he'll be grilling me about Delly and the break up since he wasn't here since before it happened and I was never in the mood to talk about it through the phone. Him being here just means I can't ignore his constant attempts for me to open up or some shit. I walk back out to the living room, trying to just shrug things off.

"I called Finn, we're going out tonight." Rye tells me as I sit on the couch. I don't even have enough time to protest because he's already in the guest bedroom.

I lean back on the couch. I really don't have a choice in the matter. If it was just Finn, I could easily brush him off. But with Rye and Finn together, I have absolutely no chance in doing what I originally planned for my weekend. So instead of arguing, I sink back further in the couch trying to block out the sounds of the TV that my brother left on.

. . . . . .

_Bang!_

Well, Finn's here. "Wassap brotha from anotha motha!"

I can't help the groan that escapes me as Rye and Finn greet each other. When Finn and I both left for college, it was really a coincidence when he went to the same college as Rye. Rye is only a little less over a year older than us so our circle of friends usually collides.

I can't blame them being so close really. Their personalities are so alike that you'd think they were brothers if only Rye had Finn's red hair or if Finn had the Mellark's blue eyes. They're the type who has enough energy to last two life times. It can be pretty overwhelming at times, but deep down they really mean well. I know Rye wouldn't be here for any other reason than to see me and know how life for me is going now.

Either that or Finn called him. I like to think it's the latter just to tease him.

I've been trying to as aloof as I can here on the couch while they catch up. But being seen is really inevitable when I'm part of their _boy's night out _plan or some other shit.

"Peet! Get your ass moving and change already!" Finn yells from kitchen, feeling at home. "I'm starving and your brother won't cook."

"Shut up. I'm on vacation asshole, I'm not cooking for you." Rye replies as he heads to me. "Come on Peet, I wanna catch up." He sounds so sincere, giving a glimpse of how caring he can be when he wants to…and that gives me no choice at all.

After taking a quick shower and changing my clothes, we head off to one of the best burger places in town. Thankfully we already skipped he dinner rush so finding a table wasn't that hard.

Right after we order, I am immediately grilled by my brother. "So, how have you been doing really? All those phone calls didn't say much except you not wanting to talk about it."

I don't know what to say really. After spending time with Katniss earlier, it doesn't seem right to think about Delly anymore. But it also doesn't feel right to not think about her after everything we've been through. But I also know that what we had is over, and I have to get over the fact that what I thought I wanted from her was just a fantasy that can't happen because she isn't the girl for me.

So what do I say?

"I don't know Rye. I mean, we both felt the same that we just didn't click anymore. I guess, I'm mourning for what I thought I wanted?" I say with a bit on question. "I mean, 6 damn years, and what? We break up. After that long you'd think it was meant to be, right? And it all comes crumbling down. But I can say that it really doesn't hurt anymore, I think…damn I sound like such a girl."

Rye gives a low chuckle then claps me on the back. "Don't worry 'bout that, Peet. When we Mellark men love, we love deep."

"What do you mean?" Well that catches my attention. Never have I ever heard Rye talk about feelings like that.

He looks to Finn then me before letting out an audible exhale. "Okay, maybe I didn't come here just to see how you were doing."

I raise my eyebrows urging him to continue.

"I met this girl a while back. I was gonna tell you 'bout her, then that whole Delly thing happened. But I heard Finn say something 'bout you guys going out last night so I thought maybe I could surprise you."

Well damn, is my brother sentimental or what.

"Her name's Kelly. She's really awesome. You have to meet her sometime."

Not long after Rye tell us about his girl, our orders come. This is when I realize that maybe I should say something about Katniss. We had one impromptu date. I think it's a big deal since I haven't been with anyone else for over 6 frickin' years.

As I'm thinking of a way to open that topic up, Finn does it for me.

"So Peet, remember the sexy redhead I danced with last night?"

"Yeah, what about her?" I try to act cool, waiting for my chance to bring Katniss up.

"I dunno. We we're having a good time until you royally fucked up with the brunette."

"I did not fuck up with Katniss."

I see him smirking at me. Damn, that's why he brought her up. He was trying to get me to talk about her. Well, that was what I was planning on doing. But I wish he had brought her up subtlety. And of course, me mentioning another girl has caught Rye's full attention.

"Katniss, huh?" Rye's smirking at me now too. "Do tell."

I can't help but roll my eyes. "Finn, me and the boys went out last night. We saw them dancing, we danced with them, me and Katniss talked."

Rye raises his eyebrow at me, like he knows I'm not telling the whole story.

It's now or never.

"We were talking about who had the goofier name, and had a bet that there weren't anyone else who had our name. I won, but then she had to go that's why she took her friend from Finn. But she left her phone, sooo...we kinda had our first date earlier."

Both Rye and Finn seem to be too shocked to respond immediately. "Is it that shocking that I went out on a date?"

Finn is the first to get himself together. "Dude, congrats man! Are you finally over that Delly chick, or you testing out the waters? If you know what I mean." He wiggles his eyebrows.

"No man. I mean, we just had lunch and a walk in the park. After Delly, she just seems like a breath of fresh air, you know?"

Rye similes at me then says, "Baby bro, I'm just happy you're finally letting yourself out there. 6 years is a long time to be with someone, but if it didn't feel right, you can't push it. We both know well enough why." _Dad._ "Just see where this takes you, okay?"

I guess he's right. All I can do now is hope for the best.

A/N:

It's not that long of a chapter. But I hope you guys like where this is going so far. I would love to hear your thoughts about it. Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Oh! And if someone wants to be my beta for this, I would love to know! thanks!


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